Despite my constant adulation of Eastwood's films of the decade ending 2009, I had never managed to see either Space Cowboys or Blood Work. Surely, I thought, I should be rushing to see both of these, given my fondness for that period of the director's career. Surely they would conform to this extraordinary block of raw talent.
An ex Air Force scientist denied the chance to go into space following the establishment of NASA, Frank Corvin is called upon to bring down a dangerously unstable Russian satellite which employs a now-archaic system he designed. Spying the opportunity to achieve his onetime dream, he rounds up the old team for one last mission.
I think it way have been the nature of Space Cowboys which perhaps subliminally kept me from getting around to it. A cast littered with highly esteemed names, a massive budget, a high-concept premise. None of these things were ever present for the slew of masterpieces which followed (some big names appeared, I grant you, but never so many simultaneously), a factor I must have considered an ill omen for this film's chances with me. I like my Eastwood dark and dramatic, not lighthearted and action-filled. Nevertheless, I was willing to get invested and involved, the cast offering names the like of Eastwood, Jones, Sutherland, and Cromwell, all of whom I'm deeply fond of. The plot is of course rather far-fetched and requires a considerable leap of faith. If you approach this film with cynicism you will be lost immediately upon learning that NASA is willing to send a force of geriatrics into space. That said, it is explained as best as possible; given that Corvin is literally the only man for the job, the government's acceptance of his terms is somewhat less fantastical, especially considering the delicate balance of international relations thereon dependent. The narrative structure is, beyond the age issue, pretty standard, following the well established path of gradual training and the resolution of whatever issues are encountered. When a serious problem threatens the success of the mission, a creaking cliché steps in to fix it. We all know the story, for so many times have we seen it unfold. And yet, in spite of all the problems of sheer unoriginality and a formulaic implementation, the film is damn enjoyable. There is a heart-warming charm to be felt in seeing these actors occupying the screen together and having quite so much fun in the process. They crack jokes, compete physically and sexually, and behave like little boys. Maybe that is the key to the film's charm: the participant's tongue-in-cheek acceptance of their own age, and a bold defiance of the societally imposed limitations thereof. In a way, the absurdity and ridiculousness of the premise is entirely intentional, allowing these onetime cowboys to ride again and feel the vigour of youth. And who are we to deny them that?
Though it is completely and utterly ludicrous and requires quite a substantial suspension of disbelief, one gets the impression that Space Cowboys plays upon just that very aspect of itself, breathing a renewed life into its elderly participants and vicariously so into its audience. An ode to youth and a firm middle finger to the limitations of age, one cannot help being drawn into its fantasy.
An ex Air Force scientist denied the chance to go into space following the establishment of NASA, Frank Corvin is called upon to bring down a dangerously unstable Russian satellite which employs a now-archaic system he designed. Spying the opportunity to achieve his onetime dream, he rounds up the old team for one last mission.
I think it way have been the nature of Space Cowboys which perhaps subliminally kept me from getting around to it. A cast littered with highly esteemed names, a massive budget, a high-concept premise. None of these things were ever present for the slew of masterpieces which followed (some big names appeared, I grant you, but never so many simultaneously), a factor I must have considered an ill omen for this film's chances with me. I like my Eastwood dark and dramatic, not lighthearted and action-filled. Nevertheless, I was willing to get invested and involved, the cast offering names the like of Eastwood, Jones, Sutherland, and Cromwell, all of whom I'm deeply fond of. The plot is of course rather far-fetched and requires a considerable leap of faith. If you approach this film with cynicism you will be lost immediately upon learning that NASA is willing to send a force of geriatrics into space. That said, it is explained as best as possible; given that Corvin is literally the only man for the job, the government's acceptance of his terms is somewhat less fantastical, especially considering the delicate balance of international relations thereon dependent. The narrative structure is, beyond the age issue, pretty standard, following the well established path of gradual training and the resolution of whatever issues are encountered. When a serious problem threatens the success of the mission, a creaking cliché steps in to fix it. We all know the story, for so many times have we seen it unfold. And yet, in spite of all the problems of sheer unoriginality and a formulaic implementation, the film is damn enjoyable. There is a heart-warming charm to be felt in seeing these actors occupying the screen together and having quite so much fun in the process. They crack jokes, compete physically and sexually, and behave like little boys. Maybe that is the key to the film's charm: the participant's tongue-in-cheek acceptance of their own age, and a bold defiance of the societally imposed limitations thereof. In a way, the absurdity and ridiculousness of the premise is entirely intentional, allowing these onetime cowboys to ride again and feel the vigour of youth. And who are we to deny them that?
Though it is completely and utterly ludicrous and requires quite a substantial suspension of disbelief, one gets the impression that Space Cowboys plays upon just that very aspect of itself, breathing a renewed life into its elderly participants and vicariously so into its audience. An ode to youth and a firm middle finger to the limitations of age, one cannot help being drawn into its fantasy.